UPM Raflatac’s revolutionary Forest Film label material wins Innovation in Sourcing Award from Sustainable Packaging Coalition

UPM Raflatac’s Forest Film™ label material has received the 2020 Innovation in Responsible Sourcing Award from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). The announcement came on Wednesday, September 30, at the SPC Innovator Awards ceremony as part of this year’s SPC Advance virtual event. Forest Film is the world’s first polypropylene film label material derived entirely from wood-based sources based on mass balance approach and brings UPM Raflatac’s vision of “labeling a smarter future beyond fossils” to life.

“Forest Film deserves attention for being a notable introduction of bio-based polypropylene with a well understood feedstock and an assurance mechanism for responsible sourcing,” says Adam Gendell, Associate Director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. “It is a significant advancement in the field of bio-based plastics, and we feel it’s earned its status as the winner of Innovation in Responsible Sourcing in the 2020 SPC Innovator Awards.”

The innovative sourcing begins with UPM Raflatac’s sister company, UPM Biofuels, who convert pulp production residue called crude tall oil from sustainably managed forests into renewable naphtha, a drop-in raw material for the chemical industry. This product, called UPM BioVerno, is sent to a resin supplier and then a film supplier to convert it into the filmic face material UPM Raflatac then manufactures into the laminate label material known as Forest Film.

It is an International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS-certified product, meaning it uses sustainable resources to replace an equivalent amount of fossil resources in the production process – the mass balance approach. Forest Film products are proven to deliver savings on greenhouse gas emissions. When a comparison is made between a standard label construction and Forest Film, the carbon footprint, including biogenic carbon, significantly reduces emissions up to 66 percent (based on UPM Raflatac’s life cycle assessment study critically reviewed to be in accordance with ISO 14040/44 and PAS2050 standards).

Forest Film has identical performance to traditional plastic film label materials. It is now available as either polypropylene or polyethylene, in both clear and white films for a number of packaging end-uses.

“Thank you to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition for this tremendous honor,” says Tyler Matusevich, UPM Raflatac’s Sustainability Manager for the Americas. “Responsible sourcing is top priority for our company because raw materials are one of our biggest sources of environmental impact. Forest Film answers our customers’ and brand owners’ needs for using renewable instead of fossil-based raw materials. Thank you to all the SPC members who continue to drive the sustainable packaging industry forward. Let’s collaborate, let’s learn together and let’s change the world!”

UPM Raflatac’s collaboration project with Sustana Fiber to recycle label liner waste into new label face material was also named a finalist for the SPC’s Innovation in Recovery Award 2020. This recycled label face stock contains up to 30 percent recycled fiber made by Sustana Fiber from waste label liner collected by UPM Raflatac’s RafCycle™ service and other mixed paper waste collection streams.
https://www.upm.com/about-us/for-media/releases/2020/10/upm-raflatacs-revolutionary-forest-film-label-material-wins-innovation-in-sourcing-award-from-sustainable-packaging-coalition/

Related Posts

Total U.S. Packaging Papers & Specialty Packaging Shipments Decreased 13 Percent in December 2022

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has released the December 2022 Packaging Papers Monthly report. According to the report, total U.S. packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments in December decreased 13% compared to December 2021. Total packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments were down 4% for the year compared to 2021. Shipments of the biggest subgrade in bleached packaging papers — food wrapping — were 27,000 short tons for the month of December. Unbleached packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments in December decreased 12% compared to December 2021. They were down 2% for the year compared to 2021.

O-I Glass Reports Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2020 Results

*Reported Results: For the full year 2020, the company recorded earnings from continuing operations of $1.57 per share (diluted), compared with a loss of $2.56 per share in 2019. Current year earnings from continuing operations before income taxes were $353 million, compared to a loss of $261 million in the prior year. Both periods included items management considers not representative of ongoing operations. Cash provided by continuing operating activities was $457 million in 2020, compared with $408 million in 2019. *Segment Operating Profit1: Full year 2020 segment operating profit was $678 million compared to $856 million in 2019. Higher selling prices more than compensated for cost inflation, but were more than offset by the impact of 4 percent lower sales volume and approximately 7.5 percent lower production volume due to the pandemic. Turnaround initiatives, strong operating performance and cost control measures partially offset the impact of lower production levels. *Cash Flows: Cash provided by continuing operating activities was $457 million in 2020, compared with $408 million in 2019. 2020 free cash flow1 was $146 million which exceeded the company’s guidance of more than $100 million free cash flow in 2020.

Think outside the package with UPM Raflatac at Pack Expo Las Vegas

At this year's Pack Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, UPM Raflatac is thinking outside the package through innovative technologies designed to educate brand owners on industry-leading packaging decoration methods that can elevate their brands. When paired with the right package, high quality label materials help brands stand out on the shelf and grab consumer attention - and UPM Raflatac's paper and film products for craft beer, food and beverage to home and personal care containers outshine the rest. Show attendees are invited to visit UPM Raflatac at booth 6363 in the Lower South Hall of the Containers and Materials Pavilion see their paper and film materials and sustainable packaging solutions in action! Click Read More below for additional detail.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search